As optical converters, in particular as active optical converters, vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSEL) or photodiodes (PD) send or receive optical signals essentially perpendicular to their surface.
In order to couple such optical signals SI into an optical waveguide WL or decouple them from an optical waveguide WL, the optical signals SI are to be deflected by a 45 degree deflection mirror from the transmitting or receiving direction of the optical converter WA into a plane of the waveguide WL offset by ninety degrees, as may be taken from FIG. 1.
Publication DE 10 2012 005 618 A1 describes an active optical cable, whose fibers are materially bonded to an optical substrate. The fibers here become coupled with an integrated optical waveguide. A deflection element guides the free jet to the processing unit located on the substrate surface, wherein the free jet undergoes a directional change of ninety degrees, so as to direct the free jet into a transceiver unit.
Alternatively, optical converters WA can be arranged by means of a corresponding bracket HA in such a way that their transmitting or receiving direction corresponds to the plane of the waveguide WL, as may be taken from FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B.
The disadvantage to the solutions known from prior art consists in that the alignment of the optical axis between the waveguide (=the optical fiber) and the optical converter must be actively carried out repeatedly.
Alternatively to the active alignment of the optical fibers, the conventional option exists to align optical fibers with the (at least one) optical converter(s) using so-called V-grooves (cf. FIG. 3).
The frame size of the known coupling and decoupling devices poses further difficulties. This frame size and structural design make the known solutions unsuitable for the realization of applications for home and mobile electronics. This implies longer connection paths between the components, and thus longer latency periods.
In addition, the manufacturing expenses for the solutions known from prior art are high and cost-intensive.